Continuous hydrator



Sept 2f 954- w. J. KUN-rz 2,254,688.

CONTINUOUS HYDRATOR Filqd sept. 6, 1959 2 sheets-Snead Spt.`2, 1941. w. J. KUNTz 2,254,688

A CONTINUOUS HYDRATOR Filed Sept. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 r" Y I Patented Sept. 2, 1941 CONTINUOUS HYDRATOR 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in batch hydrators.

It has been found in practice that the hydration of lime by batches does not provide uniform hydration because the method of burning limestone as well as the different types of limestones in any quarry when burned and introduced into a hydrator do not give a uniform quality of lime for each successive batch where a xed amount of water is introduced to a fixed amount of lime. Under this established plan of batch hydration there results incomplete hydration caused by overburned and underburned lime introduced into the batch with properly burned lime.

It is an object of the present invention to adapt a batch hydrator to a continuous operation in which a continuous quantity of lime and Water are fed into the hydrator operating on a continuous plan whereby when the lime is perfectly hydrated it is allowed to flow or proceed by its own resultant Contact in a, control space so that foreign matter, the overburned and unburned lime will remain in the chamber in which it is introduced from the caustic lime feeder until such time as the overburned and unb-urned lime has had intimate contact with the Water and the lime is in such condition that it will flow from the hydrator until the separation between the refined and inert matter is completed, the

foreign matter and residue from the overburned and unburned lime remaining in the original chamber for disposal as desired.

A further object of the invention is the improvement in a batch hydrator in which continuous quantities of vwater and lime are discharged into a hydrator with a continuous flow of the lines from the hydrator at a point centrally or otherwise located.

`'I'his invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawings forming a part of the speciiication; nevertheless, it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modications as define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a View in elevation partly in section of a converted batch hydrator in combination with a second hydrator, a cooler, screw conveyor, or other apparatus,

Figure 2 is a plan View of the same,

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken along the line 3--3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of an inner cylInder for converting the batch hydrator into a continuous hydrator,

Figure `5 is a modified form of the hydrator shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1 showing the gate partially raised.

Referring more particularly to Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, I3 designates a base member upon which is mounted a circular support I4 having a lower ball bearing race Way I5 connected thereto.v An upper ball bearing race way IS is located upon the race way I5 and a plurality of steel balls I 'I are housed by the race ways. Both of the race Ways are circular.

A web, generally designated by the numeral 20, is secured to the upper face of the race way IS as are supporting Vplates 2|. The arms of the Web 20 extend beyond the race way I6, while the supporting plates 2| extend beyond the arms of the web 24 and are connected to a ring shaped bottom 22 of a revolving container 23 which has its circular side wall 24 upstanding at the ends of the supports 2|. i f' A ring gear 25 is secured to the lower endof the side Wall 24 and to the ring 26 which issecured to the bottom 22 at the outer periphery thereof. The bottom -face of the ring gear 25 is provided With teeth 21 which vmesh with the teeth of a driving gear 23 operated by a shaft 29. The shaft is driven in any approved manner by-a motor not shown. Y

It will be noted thatrthe race way I5 is secured by bolts 33 to the support I4 while bolts 3| secure the upper race way to the arms ofthe web 2D which is supported by a member generally designated by the numeral 32 which is received by a shaft 33 which in turn is supported at its lower end by a box 34.

An inner rcylindrical member 4U forms the in*- ner wall of an annular chamber 4| and vthis chamber is Vdefined by the concentric walls 24, and 4I) and the bottom 22. It will be noted Vthat the Wall 48 merely restson the bottom 22 of the container 23 and is not connected to said bottom so that the member 4I! may be raised for a purpose which will be presently described.

A ring 42 is secured to the inner face of the cylindrical member 4U and has a depending annular flange 43 which is received by a plurality of rollers 44 rotatably mounted on the ends of arms 45 carried by channel arms 4S which are radially disposed and have their inner ends con-y nected to a hub portion 4`| received by a sleeve inner wall of the cylindrical member 49 and the Y outer ends of the arms 5D are welded or secured in any approved manner to the ring 52.

A plurality of U-shaped arms 55 have their inner ends secured to a hub 5E mounted on the shaft 33,. These arms are radially disposed and receive the inner ends of bars 51 which extend outwardly beyond the outer wall of the container 23. The inner ends of the bars 51 are secured in any approved manner within the .channel arms 55. A collar 58 is secured by a set screw 59 below the hub 56 and is adapted to ,maintain the hub in a predetermined ,horizontal position.

Brace rods 6l) are secured 'to a collar 6| mounted on the upper end of the shaft -33 while the outer ends are held in place by means of 'brackets 62 secured to tthe outer end of -the bars r5.11 which are in the shape of `angle irons. ABars 63 are secured to the outer ends Yof the bars 51 and 4depend therefrom and terminate at the lower end in a horizontal plane passing through the bottom ofthe member 13.

,A shaft 165 has its inner end mounted in a .bearing .lcarriedbya collar 61 which Arests on Ythehub '55 and :is received Iby the shaft 33. This shaft .extends outwardly and terminates in an operating Wheel l(i8. A bearing -69 carried by an .arcuately shaped support 10 receives the outer end .of theshaft |55 (Fig. 2).

A .pairof chains 1| and 12 (Fig. 3) have their lower ends received Jby hooks 13 carried by the arms while their upper ends are connected to the shaft.65. Rotation Vof the shaft will cause the chains to be coiled .on the shaft .and thus raise the .arms 45, the rollers 44 and likewise the cylindrical member -49 above the bottom v22 of ,the container 23.

The upper nend of the cylindrical member is provided with a plurality of elongated s lots 15 through which the nes may be discharged from the lchamber 4| continuously during the process of hydration of .the lime. The fines which are satisedwith water will pass through these openings and then dovmwardly through the central portion of Ithe `hydrator and through the hopper 16 and thence -through a hopper 11 yinto a second hydrator 18.

A plurality of mold boards 8U are suspended from rrods 8| from the bar s 51 arrdthese rods are also supported "by radial arms 82 which project radially from `the shaft '33. which are held stationary while the member 23 is revolved -Will -agitate the water and the lime continuously during the process.

Brace bars 83 are secured to -theouter ends of the radial bars 51 for maintaining fthe angular relation between the ibars 51.

`Asriraper depends into the `chamber f4-| and terminates radjacent :the bottom. This scraper is `pivotedly ,mounted on anarrn 86 carried vby an arm pivotally 4mounted on .the ,support 1 0. A rodl is piyotally-connected at. 88 ,to .the scraper 8,5 and .the outer `end of A. said .rod .as `shown at ,8,9 is .slidablylmounted in a guideon the ,support 8D. The `free end-.0f the trod .is located .adjacent the wheel .68.

The `hydrated lime which continually passes through the openings 1 5 and thence into the hopper 11 is discharged into an auxiliary hydrator 1,8 where the Afurther process of lhydration is These `mold boards carried on so that when the materials leave this hydrator and are discharged through a conduit 99 into an elevator 9| the lime will be thoroughly hydrated. Any unburned lime passing over into the hydrator 18 or any foreign matter will be collected in a sump 92 adjacent the discharge end of the hydrator 18. This sump and hydrator is described and claimed in my co-pending application S. N. 339,382, iled June '1, 1940 and this hydrator is an improvement on the hydrator described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,954,211.

Figure 5 discloses a hydrator in which a screw .conveyor 95 receives the hydrated lime from the hopper 11 and conveys it to a conduit 95 where `the lime Ais deposited in an elevator 9| where it `intothe chamber 4| and since the container 23 is revolving the stationary mold boards will keep the -water and `lime agitating so that `the lime will be hydrated and the fines by the convtinued ilow of thelime and water will reach the openings 15 and flow through these openings through the hopper 16 and the hopper 11 to the hydrator 18 where the materials will be further hydrated if necessary. This, however, depends upon the type of lime employed.

On the other hand the hydrated lime may be passed directly through the screw conveyor and thence to the elevator 9| where it will be deposited in separator tanks of ythe type described and claimed in my `Patent No. 41,954,211., dated April 10, 1934.

It will be seen `by this construction that the well known type of `Clyde hydrator will be converted from the batch Vmethod to the continuous method.

,At predetermined times the cylinder 48 may |beelevated by the rotation of the shaft whence the unburned and loverburned -lime and other foreign matter maybe removed from the chamber 4| as desired.

yA tower |28 is connected with the upper end of the cover 98 and is adapted `to contain water sprays for vpreventing the lime from passing out of the hydrator. This `tower is described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,954,211, dated April 10, 1934.

A dam l0 is located adjacent the discharge en d of the hydrator 18 and beyond the sump 92 to fr naintaina level of the hydrate in the hydrator and to retain overburned and underburned lime in the hydrator until such 4time as the lime will receive proper treatment.

The `completed hydrate will flow over the dam Ill continuously when .the gate valve Il is in its lowermost position while the foreign matter will be discharged from the sump 92 on to a conveyor I |2 and will be .carried away from time to time. The adjustable gate controls the level of the `aggregate by raising said gate.

The gate valve 4||1| is provided with an elongated opening |.|3 to receive the shaft 4 that operates the vanes or stirrers I5 of the hydrator 18. The opening permits the raising or lowering of the gate so that the upper end H6 of the gate proper, designated by the numeral ||1, may be raised above the level of the reduced portion ||8 of the dam I0. The upper end of the main body may be elevated until it aligns with the upper edge ||9 of the dam so that the hydrated lime will now over the entire upper edge of the dam. The lower end of the gate is slidably mounted in guides |29 mounted on the dam IIB.

An operating rod |2| projects through a bushing |22 on the upper portion of the housing of the hydrator 'i8 and is adapted to be maintained in various elevated positions by means of a pin |23 which is adapted to be received by any one of a number of perforations |24 in the stem |2|.V An'operating handle |25 is secured to the outer end of the rod.

As the hydrated lime is moved through the hydrator 18 to the dam it will ow over the upper edge H6 of the gate proper whence it will enter the conduit 9@ to the elevator 9|. Foreign matter and unburned lime rock will be collected in the sump 92 and when a valve |30 is opened it will be discharged upon the conveyor |i2 whence it will be carried away.

If no hydrator 'I8 follows the Clyde or other batch hydrator, a. sump 82 is placed in the screw 0r conveyor for carrying away the rejects to another hydrator to further the process of hydration of the rejects when necessary. This sump 92 in every case has two valves, one |3| directly under the hydrator or screw or other device, the other |30 at a distance below, which is found in practice to be proper for the particular lime being hydrated. The object of the two valves in the sump is to provide for operation as follows: When hydration is being carried on, the refuse or foreign materials will settle in the sump, the top valve being open, the operator will soon learn when the sump is full of rejects or foreign material in which case he will close the upper valve and open the bottom valve to empty the rejects or foreign material into whatever receptacle or conveyance is provided.

I claim:

1. A batch hydrator converted into a continuous hydrating machine comprising a cylinder having a bottom provided with a central opening, a movable auxiliary cylinder resting on the bottom and embracing the central opening cooperating with the rst mentioned cylinder and bottom to form an annular chamber for the hydration of lime, the upper end of the auxiliary cylinder adjacent the top of the rst cylinder being provided with openings for the continuous discharge of hydrated lime, means for supplying the chamber continuously with regulated amounts of water and unslacked lime, means for collecting the lime being discharged through the opening, and means for agitating the water and lime in the chamber.

2. A batch hydrator converted into a continuous hydrating machine comprising a cylinder having a bottom provided with a central opening, a movable auxiliary cylinder resting on the bottom and embracing the central opening cooperating with the rst mentioned cylinder and bottom to form an annular chamber for the hydration of lime, the upper end of the auxiliary cylinder adjacent the top of the iirst cylinder being provided with openings for the continuous discharge of hydrated lime, means for supplying the chamber continuously with regulated amounts of water and unslacked lime, means for collecting the lime being discharged through the opening, means for agitating the water and lime in the chamber, and means for raising the auxiliary cylinder to permit the discharge of unburned, overburned lime and foreign matter from the chamber through the central opening.

3. A batch hydrator converted into a continuous hydrating machine comprising an outer cylinder having a bottom provided with a central opening, an inner cylinder resting on the bottom, embracing the central opening and cooperating with the iirst mentioned cylinder and bottom to form an annular chamber for the hydration o! lime, and means located near the top of the inner cylinder for continuously conducting hydrated lime from the chamber, means for supplying the chamber continuously with regulated amounts of Water and unslacked lime, means for collecting the lime being discharged through the opening, and means for agitating the water and lime in the chamber.

4. A batch hydrator converted into a continuous hydrating machine comprising a cylinder having a bottom provided with a central opening, a movable auxiliary cylinder resting on the bottom and embracing the central opening cooperating with the first-mentioned cylinder and bottom to form an annular chamber for the hydration of lime, the upper end of the auxiliary cylinder adjacent the top of the first cylinder being provided with openings for the continuous discharge of hydrated lime, means for supplying the chamber continuously with regulated amounts of water and unslacked lime, means for collecting the lime being discharged through the opening, means for revolving the iirst mentioned cylinder, and means in the chamber for agitating the lime and water in the chamber and below the openings in the auxiliary cylinder.

WILLIAM JACOB KUNIZ. 

